Rubies
by Mental Scholar
Summary: To Mortus, there is nothing more appealing than the flavor of rubies. He wishes nothing more than to spend his days feasting upon his wonderful gemstones. However, his supply is not infinite. When he runs out of rubies, Mortus must venture out to find more. But perhaps all is not what it seems.


**Rubies**

Gems. Just the sound of the word was enough to send shivers of delight down his spine. Few could appreciate the value of gemstones as much as he could. To others, gems were simply sources of profit or ornaments to be admired and neglected. To him, gems were life. He craved them. He needed them.

There was nothing more precious to him than the sight of a gem glistening in the light of a torch. The feeling of running his claws over the smooth surface of a gemstone. The flavor of a gem as he bit into its crystalline flesh.

It is not unusual for a Sableye like Mortus to consume gemstones. To his kind, gems are the fruits of the earth, grown within rock rather than on a branch. He enjoyed eating most of the gems produced by the nurturing stone surrounding him. Sapphires. Topaz. Emeralds. Amethyst. Even the occasional diamond found its way into Mortus's hungry claws. However, these gems could not compare to his rubies.

Mortus loved rubies above all else. To most others, they were inferior to more profitable commodities. They did not appreciate the true value of rubies. They took the precious gems for granted. Sometimes, it seemed that Mortus was the only Pokémon capable of understanding the joy of feasting upon rubies.

It was Mortus's quest to find rubies that led him to Cassius Cavern. The subterranean city was famous for its mining industry, as the walls of stone encasing it were filled with sources of precious metals and gems. These natural resources attracted merchants motivated by monetary gain. Mortus was a merchant himself, but his intentions were vastly different from theirs. They simply sought revenue. He desired the wonderful flavor that could only come from beautiful, shining rubies.

Mortus entered his store. It was located in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Cassius Cavern known as The Narrows, where buildings of gray stone were clumped together in disorganized clusters. Although no sunlight shone down onto the inhabitants of Cassius Cavern, their world was illuminated by the lights of glowing crystals embedded in the walls of the cave, as well as the occasional lantern or torch.

Mortus took a moment to scowl at the wooden sign hanging over the door of his store. There were no words on it, only a rough depiction of various gemstones. Their once vibrant colors had faded over the years. Mortus had grown to despise that bland sign. If he were to ever get the necessary funds, he would be sure to repaint all of the gems red.

The interior of Mortus's shop was very simple. The front room was lined with shelves holding gems on display. Gems of any kind could be found on these shelves. Except, of course, for Mortus's rubies. He kept them in three clay jars in the back room, away from the greedy eyes of his clientele.

Mortus hurried into the back room and saw the three jars lined up alongside each other on a small table next to the wall, casting shifting shadows in the light of a candle in the wall. He sighed in relief. He would always worry that someone may wander into his store and take his rubies whenever he goes out for business or to find more gems. Rubies were the only gems that he would never sell. They were for him and him alone.

Reassured by the knowledge that the jars had not been disturbed, Mortus returned to the counter in the front room. He would wait until it was time to close the shop before he would indulge his cravings. It would be a very long day.

* * *

The lock gave a satisfying click as Mortus turned the key. He had finally closed his shop after waiting in vain for several hours for customers to come. As usual, he did not have a single customer. No one that lived in the vicinity of his shop had the money or interest to purchase gems. Those that were able and willing would go to one of the wealthy merchants situated in the center of the city. Mortus had long ago accepted poverty as his fate. He had no need for money when he lived in a city filled with rubies.

Mortus turned around and hurried into the back room. The candle was approaching the end of its life, with only a few inches of wax remaining under the flame. Erratic shadows covered the walls of the room, twisting and contorting with every flicker of the flame.

The three jars were standing in their usual places in the back room. Mortus grabbed the jar farthest to the right and pulled off the lid. He grinned at the sight of the beautiful rubies contained within. Holding the jar to his lips, Mortus allowed gravity to pull the delicious contents of the jar into his mouth and down his throat.

Shudders ran through Mortus's body as the flavor filled his mouth. He felt truly alive. He knew that he needed nothing more in life than a steady supply of these rubies for sustenance. He could not get enough of this precious commodity. His craving would never be fully satisfied.

After several moments, the jar was empty. Mortus grew frustrated, his insatiable desire for the taste of rubies clawing at his mind, demanding more. He placed the empty jar back in its place on the table and grabbed the jar in the middle. He began to devour its contents as he had done to the first. Once that jar had been depleted, he did the same to the third jar.

Mortus did not even realize that he was exhausting his entire supply until he had already drained the final jar of all of its contents. He glared morosely at the empty containers. They seemed to mock him by standing just as they had when they were full, taunting him for his impulsiveness.

Irritated that he would need to hunt for more rubies the following day, Mortus walked over to a small mattress in the corner of the room. He lay down on the simple bed and allowed sleep to overpower his senses, causing the faint light of the candle to fade into darkness.

* * *

Mortus woke up with a start, his eyes quickly adjusting to the lack of light in the room. Looking over, he saw that the candle's flame had died. He did not know how long he had been asleep. Living in Cassius Cavern meant that one had no formal concept of the passage of time, as the crystals that provided the city's natural light did not distinguish between night and day. All that Mortus knew was that he had been asleep, but he was awoken by a familiar sensation. Hunger. He needed rubies.

He could have eaten any kind of gemstone to satisfy his stomach, but Mortus knew that no other gem would be able to satisfy his hunger. He could not wait for a more opportune moment to begin his search. He needed to find rubies immediately.

Mortus crawled out of his bed and reached for his tools. He would need them to extract the rubies. He picked up his belt and tied it around his waist, feeling the familiar weight of the various pouches and pieces of equipment on it.

Mortus exited his store, making sure to lock the door behind him. There were not many things that the Pokémon living near his shop could do with one of his gems, but he did not trust them.

As he walked through the streets of the city, Mortus kept his eyes open for any potential sources of rubies. In a cavern like this, such things could be found anywhere if one knew what to look for. He might notice some structural weakness that he could exploit to find gems hidden beneath the surface. He might see the bulge of a vein filled with precious rubies. Or perhaps he would smell the rubies in an area where they have already been exposed to the open air. They could be hidden anywhere.

He walked through the center of the city, which was filled with Pokémon attempting to buy or sell merchandise. The most common products were, of course, gems and jewelry. There was also a Larvitar standing on a crate holding a newspaper. He was shouting some worthless drivel about a body in the outskirts of the city. Mortus had no interest in such news. If the newspaper could tell him where to find rubies, then he would consider purchasing one.

Leaving the busy streets near the city's center behind him, Mortus found himself in a much less populated area. There were only a few Pokémon wandering the streets aimlessly. Mortus meandered through the streets and dark alleyways, searching for viable sources of rubies among the stone buildings.

Most would venture outside the city entirely in such a hunt, searching for gems in the small caves lining the high walls of Cassius Cavern. Mortus knew better than all of them, though. He knew that the city itself was the best source of rubies, practically bursting at the seams with precious gems for the experienced to claim.

Mortus was approaching the city limits when he saw it. In the dark shadows of one of the alleyways, he saw a potential source of rubies. Barely capable of containing his excitement, Mortus strode quickly but calmly down the alley. He did not want anyone else to notice and take the rubies for themselves. They were his and his alone.

He had to make sure that there would not be enough noise to alert everyone in the vicinity, or they would try to claim his precious rubies. He started with a quick strike from the hammer on his belt, forceful enough to crack the surface. He could already see a few rubies in the fracture he had made, but they were not enough. He needed many more.

He used a small pick to penetrate deeper, exposing more of the beautiful crimson gems. They glistened in the faint light from the glowing crystals far above. Mortus could not hold back an elated grin at the sight of them. So beautiful. So tantalizing.

Mortus was always proud of his willingness to work hard to obtain the things that he desired. He toiled away, draining rubies from the vein enthusiastically. His pick gave him access to most of the hidden reserves of the crimson gems concealed beneath the surface. Fortunately, this particular reservoir of rubies provided little challenge for the expert Sableye. Its supply of rubies was quickly depleted.

Mortus was pleased with the results of his venture. He had collected enough rubies to fill all three of his jars at once. It was time to return to his store. He left the depleted source as it was; there were no more rubies to be had, so there was no reason for others to try to harvest them from it.

The walk back to the store felt like an eternity to the exhausted Sableye as he made his way back to his store on the opposite side of the city. He remembered that he had not had much time to sleep before his cravings had pulled him out of his bed. He decided that he would give himself time to sleep before opening the store for the day. He was unlikely to have any customers anyway.

Mortus unlocked the front door and opened it. Everything was just as he had left it. Satisfied that he had not had any unexpected visitors while he was gone, Mortus walked into his back room and saw the empty jars sitting on the table, waiting to be filled with the treasure he had collected.

Mortus poured the rubies into the clay jars, watching as each of the containers was completely filled with the beautiful gems. He replaced each of the jars' lids and returned them to their places on the table.

He crawled into his bed, eagerly anticipating the moment when he would feast on his new treasure. He would wait until after he closed the shop that day. He was a patient Sableye. And it would be well worth the wait.

* * *

Nobody was sure what happened. They had only ever been a community in name, each Pokémon avoiding unnecessary contact with those surrounding them. The Pokémon of The Narrows rarely interacted with one another outside of a store.

It was this lack of community that dulled the awareness of the residents of The Narrows to the mysteries around them. For many months, they did not notice the disappearances of their fellow citizens. They did not see the stains in the alleyways, nor did they detect the empty husks that were occasionally left behind. They could not see beyond their own meager livelihoods, and so they remained indifferent to the growing chaos surrounding them on all sides.

The Narrows was not alone in its disinterest toward the mysterious occurrences. The governor of Cassius Cavern did not see his constituents vanishing before his very eyes; he only saw a powerful stream of revenue, which could not be diminished by the loss of a few meager commoners. Perhaps he would have kept his power if he had acted sooner. However, he remained sedentary, and so he was replaced with a more vigorous politician.

This newcomer could see the situation that had developed within Cassius Cavern. Unfortunately, the cause continued to elude him, standing between the new governor and the solution to the enigma threatening the city. His attempts to locate the source with discretion failed, leaving him with little alternative to the use of force.

Intruders entered The Narrows without any warning. They stormed into houses and stores and emptied the inhabitants and their possessions into the streets. They trampled what little remained, leaving nothing untouched. The few Pokémon that dared to challenge them were answered with metallic insignias that held no meaning to them and vicious threats.

For several days, chaos reigned supreme. What little hospitality existed within The Narrows quickly vanished as its residents found themselves forced out of their own homes to watch as their property was destroyed. Tension and hostility grew on both sides of the developing conflict, rapidly approaching a breaking point as the fruitless crusade continued.

A single Ampharos changed everything. She was different from all of the others. Most were found long after they could be of any use. However, this Ampharos was fresh. A few remnants of the warmth that had once pervaded her body remained, clinging to her pale flesh. She was exactly what they had needed.

With the discovery of that one Ampharos, the efforts in The Narrows had quickly tripled. The impoverished inhabitants could only watch in despair as the intruders continued to spread devastation with a renewed vigor.

A small gem store found itself a victim of the destruction. Its door was ripped from its threshold, the rusty hinges offering little resistance to the Machoke captain. Inside he found a room lined with dusty shelves. The shelves held dull gems, their luster having long since faded with the passage of time. These gems were swiftly removed by the Machoke's subordinates, and the shelves were scrutinized. When this search yielded no results, the counter received the same treatment, with an equally dissatisfying outcome.

Frustrated with the lack of progress, the Machoke walked toward the door behind the counter, ready to smash it down with the heavy battle-axe strapped to his back. He found that there was no need for such methods, however, upon realizing that this door was unlocked. He opened the door and his officers began to search the room.

The results of the search, unlike those that had preceded it, were intensely satisfying to the Machoke. One burnt-out candle in a holder on the wall. A few small boxes containing gems, presumably to be sold if the proprietor were to have a customer. One Sableye, most likely the owner of the store, sleeping peacefully on a small mattress. And finally, three clay jars filled to the brim with blood.


End file.
